A friend I was very close with back in 2018 put me on to Local Natives. I had never heard of this LA-based indie rock band but after showing me “Coins” and “I Saw You Close Your Eyes,” the catchy rhythms and smooth grooves instantly grabbed my attention. We listened to several of their songs around that time, but those two were the ones we kept going back to during long drives around the city.
The last time Local Natives came to San Antonio was in 2019. My friend wanted me to go, but I just couldn’t make it happen. Since then, I hadn’t really returned to their music until I saw the band was coming back to town.
Their “Time Will Wait for No One But I’ll Wait For You Tour” is named after the two most recent albums—one released in 2023 and the other in 2024. They are considered sister albums so it was fitting they would tour in support of both.
I was excited to see them, mostly expecting a nostalgic trip back to those chill indie vibes I shared with my friend, but I was so damn surprised to see a show bursting with much more energy than I expected in all the best ways.
Walking into the Aztec Theatre, these giant silver balloons were spelling out “LV” that would be behind the band. When the five-piece of Taylor Rice on vocals and guitar, Kelcey Ayer on vocals and keyboard, Ryan Hahn on vocals and guitar, Nik Ewing on bass, and Matthew Frazier on vocals took the stage, it was clear they were ready to blow everyone away.
They kicked things off with “April” from their latest record, and sounded incredible from the jump on “Just Before the Morning”. They had an intense instrumental breakdown to end the song which was the first of many high-energy moments this crowd would experience.
Throughout the night, each instrumental section was paired with lights flashing, and pulsating in sync with the rapid drum beats, creating an electrifying atmosphere. Every band member was completely in the zone, their energy being absolutely unreal.
The band could feel the energy right back from the crowd, with Rice noting how much time it’s been since being in San Antonio.
“We missed you, we missed you a lot, this is fuckin’ awesome.”
The two songs that got me into the Local Natives all those years ago were played early in the set and it was an amazing feeling to relive those memories. A song that sparked memories for many in the audience was “Airplanes,” with the crowd singing along to the lyric “I want you back, back, back” with pure excitement.
They then performed my favorite song off their last two albums, “NYE,” with so much wild and youthful energy to it making it one of the most enjoyable songs of the night.
Side note, the remix of this song with Suki Waterhouse is so damn good. Remember who put you on.
“World News” and “Wide Eyes” were some of their older tracks that had that sort of stomp-clap indie folk sound that I wasn’t as familiar with. With the songs’ infectious drum beats, the crowd was having a blast clapping and singing along at every moment.
They were able to slow down the tempo on songs like “Alpharetta,” but then were able to pick it right back up with “Dark Days,” which gave me such a nostalgic feeling of joy and peace.
The energy of “Sun Hands” was insane; Taylor entered the crowd, dancing and jumping along with the pit, with everyone’s hands held up high. It would have been the perfect closer for their set, but of course, Local Natives couldn’t leave San Antonio hanging without an encore.
The sing-along for “Who Knows Who Cares” was incredibly loud and joyful, and wrapping up with “When Am I Gonna Lose You” was the perfect indie vibe to close out the show.
The band thanked San Antonio for their energy, with Rice saying, “This night has been really, really amazing for us, thank you.”
Ayer added, “This has been the best night on tour. I know it just started, but I don’t think anything’s gonna top this.”
Well, Kelcey, you can say that again. It’s hard to imagine many shows coming through San Antonio this year that could top this one.
